Gavin Engelbrecht
The Northern Echo
July 2015

Russian virtuoso Alina Ibragimova gives scorching renditions of Ysayes’ Sonatas for solo violin; works sketched out in a fevered 24 hours during the summer of 1923. Written in response to the question of why in more than 200 years no one had attempted to follow the path forged by JS Bach, each of these six Sonatas is dedicated to and tailored to the playing style of a contemporary violinist. Ibragimova has made them all hers, with incisive playing that reveals more with each listening. Highly recommended.